“Can Honour’s voice provoke the silent dust…” Extract from poem ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’, by Thomas Gray.
The earthly remains of an innocent man, executed by hanging in Mountjoy jail; same body having been located within the prison grounds, were handed over to his family last week. Yesterday, Sunday July 7th, 2024 same remains were re-interred, with his parents in the family plot, following Requiem Mass in Holycross Abbey, Thurles, attended by hundreds of people, some who travelled from other countries, to be in attendance.
In November, 1940, the executed Mr Gleeson had found the body of this single mother of seven children in a field owned by his uncle Mr John Caesar, while the former was out tending sheep. The victim had been shot twice in the head and rather than being thanked for alerting local authorities to his gruesome discovery of Ms McCarthy’s body, Mr Gleeson soon found himself charged with her murder. Following his trial and eventual conviction, the manner of execution was proscribed by the then sentencing Judge, Mr Justice Martin Maguire, that he be ‘hanged by the neck until he be dead.’ Alas, Mr Gleeson’s pardon came 83 years after his execution; granted by the current President of Ireland, Mr Michael D. Higgins, on the initial recommendation of former Minister for Justice, Mr Alan Shatter.
Having studied the original trial transcripts and noting that back in 1941 the judge, Mr Martin Maguire, had asked for a gun register to be shown during the trial. Same register although available, had never been produced by the prosecution.
Yet another issue was the temperature of Ms McCarthy’s body, when it had been first located. The post-mortem report from 1940 indicated that Moll had been murdered at a time when Mr Gleeson actually had an alibi.
Ten years ago in 2014, a retired nurse Ms Ann Martin Walsh, who had cared for Ms Moll McCarthy’s eldest daughter, Ms Mary McCarthy, as the latter was nearing her death, confirmed that her patient had clearly declared that ‘I saw my own mother shot on the kitchen floor and an innocent man died’.
Mr Harry Gleeson denied ever being one of Ms Moll McCarthy’s many known lovers or of fathering one of her seven children, which, it was stated could have jeopardised an inheritance of land, due from an uncle John Caesar.
Today, the murdered body of Ms Moll McCarthy lies in an unmarked grave in a now disused cemetery in New-Inn, Cahir, Co. Tipperary.
In 2015, following a full review of the trial and the evidence provided, members of the Gleeson family attended a special ceremony at the Department of Justice, where a certificate of official pardon was finally presented.
Lyrics: Written by American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Troy Seals and the late American session musician, keyboardist and songwriter Donnie Ray Fritts. Vocals: American recording artist and twice Grammy Award winner Ms Rita Coolidge.
We had it all.
I can hear the wind blowing in my mind, Just the way it used to sound, Through the Georgia pines, And you were there to answer when I called, You and me we had it all. Remember how I used to touch your hair? While reaching for the feeling, That was always there. You were the best thing in my life I recall, You and me, Lord knows we had it all. Know I can’t re-live those times again, So I just let my dreams take me back, To where we’ve been. I’ll stay right there with you just as long as I can, Oh it was so good, yes it was so good, Oh it was so good when your were my man. I’ll never stop believing in your smile, Even though you didn’t stay, It was all worthwhile. You were the best thing in my life I recall, You and me, Lord knows we had it all. Oh yes, you and me we had it all. You and me we had it all. END
Lyrics and Vocals: American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist and three time Grammy Award winner Brad Paisley.
Ode de Toilet.
She says not to buy her flowers, Or big expensive gifts. She says she don’t want jewelry, And she doesn’t need another dress. If I want to show her how much I adore her, The best way that I’ve found, Is to make sure when I’m finished, I put that toilet seat down. We’ve been to counciling, To try and see the ways we could improve, This thing between us, And different ways to show each other “I love you”. Forget about those getaway vacations, To romantic coastal towns, If you want to say “I love you”, Then put that toilet seat down. ‘Cause in the middle of the night, It’s cold and it’s dark, And when I hear my name in vain, I know I haven’t done my part. She just wants me to support her, And the best way that I’ve found, So with a gentle hand and a loving touch, I put that toilet seat down. I know it’s kind of funny, You can teach a little puppy, But it’s very hard to train a grown man, When I’m all about my business, And the path of least resistance, She’s the one that suffers in the end. In the middle of the night, It’s cold and it’s dark, And when I hear my name in vain, I know I haven’t done my part. She just wants me to support her, And the best way that I’ve found, So with a gentle hand and a loving touch, I put that toilet seat down. Down, down. END.
On the eve of its tenth anniversary, Co. Cork singer and songwriter Stephanie Rainey brought her timeless anthem ‘Please Don’t Go’ to a whole new audience when she appeared on the TV series ‘America’s Got Talent’ on Tuesday June 25th, last, 2024.
The song she sung was dedicated to her one-year-old nephew, Fionn, who tragically lost his life to meningitis, when aged just one year old.
I dare our older readers not to shed a tear, as we think back, lovingly, on the hands we have held under similar circumstances in the past.
I’ll hold your hand till it goes cold. I’ll hold my tears until you go, With all the life that leaves your bones, It soaks the purpose from my own. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. I love you more than you could know. You’ve got a hole inside my soul. It’s like a mountain soaked in snow. It’s in the earth the river flows. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. I’ve kept my own side of the bed, Thinking you’d be home again. I hold myself so I can sleep, My pillow holds the screams of me. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. So lay yourself down on my chest, ‘Cause I know how to hold you best. I’ll keep you through these last few breaths, And kiss and love you till the end. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. Ohhh, ohh, oh, please don’t go. END.
Radon is still the main source of radiation exposure for the Irish public, say EPA and HIQA.
The ‘Ionising Radiation – National Dose Report’ assessed the radiation exposure received from the air we breathe, medical exposures, our diet and exposure to radiation in our environment.
Over 99% of radiation dose received comes from natural sources of radiation, and medical exposures such as X-rays and CT scans.
Nearly 60% of the dose is due to the radioactive gas Radon.
10 % of the dose comes from medical exposures, mainly from medical imaging.
7% comes from our food and drinking water.
This assessment found that the average dose remains similar to that found a decade ago.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) today published a new assessment of the average radiation doses received by the Irish population. The Ionising Radiation – National Does Report assessed the radiation exposure over the last five years received from the air we breathe, medical exposures, our diet, and exposures to radiation in our environment.
This is an update of a 2014 assessment, and the current assessment found that the average dose remains similar to that found a decade ago. The assessment found that over 99% of the average radiation dose comes from natural sources of radiation, and medical exposures such as X-rays and CT scans. Medical exposure alone can account for just over 10% of a person’s total exposure or dose.
The assessment found:
Nearly 60% of the dose is due to the radioactive gas Radon in indoor air, with over 8% coming from exposure to another radioactive gas, Thoron.
10% of the dose comes from medical exposures, mainly from medical imaging.
9% comes from cosmic radiation, of which 2% is due to exposure received if flying.
7% comes from our food and drinking water.
6% comes from radiation from the ground as gamma radiation.
People in Ireland receive a slightly higher average radiation dose than the European average, mainly due to radon exposure in the home and in the workplace. Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, contributes almost 60% of the annual dose. This is of concern as radon is a major cause of lung cancer.
Over 7% of the average annual radiation dose comes from radiation in food and drinking water, the source of which is mainly naturally occurring radiation.
Radioactivity from artificial sources, such as discharges from nuclear facilities abroad, fallout from historic nuclear weapons testing and past nuclear accidents make up less than 1% of overall exposure.
Dr Micheal Lehane, EPA Director said, “Radon is the largest contributor to radiation dose in Ireland. If there is a high radon level in your home, it is exposing you and your family to unnecessary radiation. The good news is that radon is easy to test for and solutions are available to reduce high levels where necessary. When building a house it is critical to seal the base of the building to prevent radon from getting into your house in the first place. For existing houses, we urge people to test for radon, and remediate if necessary, as this is the only way of protecting you and your family from this cancer-causing gas.”
As part of the assessment, HIQA reviewed radiation exposure to patients, finding that the average amount of radiation from medical exposure has decreased. This is in part due to improvements in the overall reduction of exposure to patients and increased access to new and improved medical imaging.
Mr Sean Egan, HIQA’s Director of Healthcare Regulation, said, “It is encouraging to see the decrease in amounts of ionising radiation received from medical exposures over the past 10 years. Since HIQA began regulating ionising radiation facilities in 2019, we have seen increased compliance with the regulations year-on-year. This means that services are considering how best to use equipment to meet the intended diagnostic or treatment goal while keeping exposure of the patient as low as possible, reducing the risk of harm to patients. We will continue to engage with services to ensure that this good practice continues.”
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